Erik's declaration of love left him feeling torn, almost as soon as the words left his mouth. On one hand, he was relieved to finally have found the strength within him to admit to having developed such strong feelings towards Rosaline, yet on the reverse, he was particularly wary of the fact that he had made such a startling confession in the company of his entire family and thus undoubtedly had made Rose feel extremely uncomfortable and probably somewhat worried. Erik wasn't overly surprised therefore when he noticed the bewildered expression on Rosaline's face, before watching her stand and move out of her seat. Rushing to catch up with her quick movements, his sisters voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Give her some space Erik. I'll go speak to her." Lucy offered with a light smile, whilst leaving the dining room.

Reclaiming his seat behind the table, Erik wasn't sure what to do next. He met his fathers gaze in the hopes that he might be able to provide him with some much needed answers. Fortunately, Elijah Silverstein was the kind of man who would do anything to help his children, even if they were adults themselves.

"Son, that young woman loves you whether she wants to admit it or not. I saw it in her eyes the moment I met her." His father told him with a comforting hand placed on his shoulder.

"But...she just ran off." Erik halfheartedly accuses.

"Can you really blame the poor girl though. That confession did come out of left field a little bit, didn't it dear?" His mother gently pipes up from beside his father.

Erik contemplates his mothers words for brief minute and allows the reality of the situation to settle in. Perhaps he was acting on impulse, but for unexplainable reasons, Rosaline managed to make him lose sight of all common sense for a single moment in time. His only hope now was that it wouldn't cause Rosaline to feel pressured to reciprocate those same words, merely because she felt guilty.

"No matter what anyone says, I don't regret telling her. Maybe I went about it the wrong way, but my feelings for her couldn't be more genuine." Erik explains in a determined voice.

"And no one is denying that fact for a single second Erik. You just might want to consider it from her perspective dear. This is the first time you've invited her over to meet your family which can be intimidating in itself. To then drop the love bomb on her...I'm positive she is just feeling overwhelmed." His mother promises him with a warm smile on her face.

Retuning her smile with newfound reassurance, Erik releases a shaky breath when he sees his sister return into the dining room from the corner of his eye. His heart drops slightly at the scene in front of him however, when he notices that Rosaline is not with her.

"Well? Where's Rose?" He immediately interrogates his sister, as she takes a relaxed seat beside Oliver.

"She's outside, by the pool." She evenly informs him.

"Does she seem angry, you know for embarrassing her?" Erik nervously asks.

"Of course not. I think she was just overcome with emotion, but you will need to speak with her yourself." Lucy calmly suggests.

Choosing not to waste a second longer, Erik's chair scrapes across the tiled floor before he finds himself marching out of the room and in search of Rose.

"Go easy on her Erik." Are the remaining words he hears coming from his sister, as he walks away.

As Erik makes his towards the outdoor pool area, his palms start to sweat at the same time his heart rate quickens in pace. He can't remember a period in his life when he was ever anxious to speak to a woman, especially one as gentle and sweet as Rosaline. Erik assumed it was because of his fierce love for her that he was reacting in a way that would probably be considered as excessively dramatic by the average person. Still, Erik didn't care if it made him appear any less masculine or weak in the presence of Rosaline because somewhere deep inside of him, he knew that Rosaline actually held a great deal of respect for anyone who was confident enough to reveal their vulnerabilities and insecurities. Because the fact of the matter was, Rosaline was likely already aware of the fact that Erik's greatest fear was that she didn't feel the same about him and if that were true, Erik wasn't sure how he would ever begin to recover his broken heart.

"Rose?" Erik tenderly asks once he's standing a few feet away from her.

Erik watches as she turns around and reveals bloodshot eyes that are surprisingly a complete contrast to the typical shy smile she is currently wearing. Confused by what he is seeing, Erik doesn't waste time before stepping closer towards her.

"Sweetheart..." Erik begins, before he's cut off with an abrupt force pushing against his body.

Erik welcomes the collapse of her smaller framed body against his own, while using his arms to secure their closeness. He can faintly hear Rosaline mumbling something incoherent near his ear, but with how they are standing, he can't quite piece together what it might be.

"What is it, my love?" He softly probes, whilst using his thumbs to brush away the stray tears that have continued to fall under her eyes.

Erik's heart warms when instead of answering him immediately, Rosaline clasps his larger hand in her own and kisses his knuckles one by one. He smiles at the sensation that evokes a dear memory to him that occurred not so long ago. In fact, only a mere few hours had passed since Erik was kneeling on the carpet of his bedroom floor and comforting Rose as she expressed her fears about their relationship.

"I'm sorry." He finally hears Rosaline's whispered response.

"What could you possibly be sorry for?" Erik questions her, stunned somewhat by her apologetic tendencies.

"For not saying it back." She regrettably explains, whilst still stroking his hand.

Saddened by the thought of making her feel ashamed for not returning his love, Erik slowly shakes his head in disagreement. Prepared to tell her that she needn't feel sorry for anything, Erik is stunned into silence as he listens to the next few words that escape Rosaline's mouth.

"The truth is I love you Erik Silverstein and I have for a while now."

The gasp that freely leaves Erik's lips doesn't compare to the rapid fluttering of excitement and nerves that are coursing through the veins in his body. Just when he thought Rosaline was on the cusp of bridging some distance between them, she amazes him in the best way possible, making his love for her grow exponentially stronger.

"I love you so much sweetheart, you have no idea." Erik finds himself repeating the phrase over and over, until Rosaline's giggles fill the space around them instead of tears that were once occupying the place.

"I just have one question." Erik tells her with a firm look on his face.

"Anything." She immediately agrees.

"What changed?" He inquisitively asks.

Rosaline proudly smiles before leaning in towards Erik and placing a feather light kiss against his lips. Erik has barely opened his eyes, by the time he hears Rosaline's explanation.

"Nothing changed Erik, I know that I love you. I just needed someone else to help me realise and admit to it on my own. You have your sister to thank for that." She emphasises the last part, before capturing Erik's awaiting lips in another passionate embrace.